When using an excavation device such as an auger, shovel, or post hole digger to dig holes in the ground, the excavated material removed from the hole generally settles around the hole. Manual labor must then be used to collect the excavated material and transport it to another location. For example, people must shovel the dirt, sand, soil, or clay that has collected around the hole into a wheel barrow or other device which can transport the excavated material. The wheel barrow must then be pushed to a location where the excavated material may be deposited, such as up a ramp into the bed of a dump truck. Excavated material is then shoveled out of the wheel barrow. This procedure for cleaning up the excavated materials after digging a hole with an excavation device is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
An example of an excavation cleanup device is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0097772. That patent application describes a collection tray for collecting excavated material removed from a hole during the excavation process. This collection tray includes an aperture through which an auger may be admitted. This aperture remains open after the auger is removed, and remains open when the collection tray is moved to a different location to dispose of the collected excavated material. The collection tray includes handles and a wheel, so that the tray may be pushed in a manner similar to a wheel barrow. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0097772 does not disclose a means for closing the aperture in the collection tray, and does not disclose a means for transporting and disposing of the excavated material in an automated manner. It also does not disclose the attachment of a collection tray to movable equipment such as a loader.
Other examples of excavation cleanup devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,991,512 and 9,151,076. Those patents also describe trays which include an aperture through which an auger may be admitted. A plate may be used to manually close the aperture by sliding the plate across the aperture after the auger is removed. Handles are included to facilitate the lifting and carrying of the tray. However, those patents do not disclose an automated means for opening or closing the aperture in the collection tray, and do not disclose a means for transporting and disposing of the excavated material in an automated manner. They also do not disclose the attachment of a collection tray to movable equipment such as a loader.
There is a need for a soil collection device including an automated means for opening and closing a gate which covers an aperture in the device. There is also a need for a soil collection device which allows excavated material to be collected and transported in an automated manner without the use of manual labor. Moreover, there is a need for a soil collection device which allows the material excavated from several different holes to be collected prior to transporting the device to another location to dispose of the excavated material.